Author Archives: bfrhodes99

Whistles

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The Dog Whistle?

I don’t know exactly when they started using the term but it would seem that it was used far more commonly by the dems. I don’t know exactly know what is meant by it, other than that what I have extracted from context.

Well, actually, I do know what a dog whistle is. I learned about them while in junior high, which was a while or two ago. Truth be told, there are two types. One is cylindrical and when you blow on it, only the dogs, and I guess other animals, can hear it. I suppose they can be used for training but mostly it is used for beckoning. When the owner blows on it, the dog comes running.

The other has something of a flat shape to it, almost with the appearance of a small shape of a bird. The sound it makes can be heard by most everyone and is almost totally used for training, especially for herding dogs.

Then too, I have seen people use noting more than their thumb and forefinger and it works just as good, maybe a little better as the dog gets used the his owners pitch.

The whistling saves a lot of yelling. The shepherd can tell the dog what to do from, easily a quarter mile away. One shepherd and a couple of dogs can control hundreds of sheep this way. And guess what? The dogs love it. Border collies, German shepherds, and many other dogs love the work. I have heard some say that it is cruel to expose a border collie to sheep and then never let them work. It is akin to torture. Don’t know. Just been told.

If you have never had the chance to see a shepherd work with his dog(s), you might take a few minutes to watch it once, maybe three times. If you see it enough, you might even decide to take it up. If you do, you will make a dog very happy. If you keep your eyes open, occasionally, you will see a competition advertised. Bring your camera.

So, getting back to what the dems mean by a dog whistle. I would guess this refers to how the controllers in the democrat party control their people. It does seem a bad way to refer to people, as dogs. They can’t possibly be referring to the leadership in the Republican party as using dog whistles. First, they don’t try to use whistles to control the members of the party. Second, it wouldn’t work. The republicans are not mindless robots as are the dems. They actually have minds of their own and do what they believe to be right. From time to time it is a problem. We simply refuse to march in lockstep as the dems do so it does become a problem from time to time to get a good bill passed.

On the other hand, the dems have no problem passing one of their bad bills. All they need to do is use a little threat, a little enticement and they will all fall into the place they are assigned. Anyone that doesn’t, will not ever be in the good graces of the dems again, which means they will never again receive any of that lovely campaign money. Moreover, they will likely get primaried the election.

So, I would say, if anyone is familiar with the use of dog whistles, it would be the dems. Then, I don’t need to tell you. I don’t need to convince you. All you need do is keep your eyes open.

One thing I do know. I do not answer to dog whistles. I would hope you don’t either. I mean, God did give you a mind with which to think.

Oddly, a Good Word for McDonald’s

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Okay. I’ve sworn off Micky D’s. Everyone knows it. I really don’t like the place. I have written many posts on the poor service. So. When they do good, I do feel obligated to say something. Perhaps someone saw me come in and said that I better get some good service. (Just kidding. They don’t know me.)

At any rate, the wife and I were on the way to the range a few days ago and we decided to stop in and get some breakfast. And… guess what. We did get some breakfast… before I was able to get my Diet Coke. That is fast. And, by the way, it was good and it was hot. So, from me, an honest thanks for cooking for me and doing so well.

While on the subject, that evening, we went to the Huey’s in Southaven. I have never been disappointed with any aspect of that place. It is always clean, fast and the best shrimp and fries I had anywhere. My wife had the steak on a stick and, of course, I had to have the shrimp. I don’t know how they did it, but they had our dinner to us in about 4 minutes. …and the shrimp and fries were so hot I had to dip them to keep from burning my tongue.

The truth of the matter is, they truly know the way to do good food… fast. In today’s world, that is especially good.

Unfortunately, it won’t matter to most of those reading my posts. Most do not reside in Southaven. Many do not live in the US. Still, I guess it won’t hurt to say something. Who knows, one day, someone will visit Southaven from some distant place and they will want some good hot shrimp… fast.

Oddly, Some People Believe It

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It’s the guns

It’s the guns

It’s the guns

We have to eliminate all guns every time someone gets shot.

It’s the target. it’s the target as soon as they start shooting at Pres. Trump.

Strange as that might seem, as crazy as that sounds, some people believe that line of reasoning, which is promoted by the dems.

It would seem, according to the dems, it is a matter of just whom the target might be. My guess is that if someone started shooting at me, it would be my fault as well.

Was the thought of shooting at Trump originated with the dems? I guess not. On the other hand, much of what they say, encourages it. There have been physical assaults on many republicans and the dems have made it clear it is okay with them, though they might pretend otherwise. They even encourage it in their speeches. Remember, Sen. Rand Paul was assaulted by his neighbor while mowing his lawn and again while walking along the the roads of D.C. Remember those that would have assaulted the Supreme Court justices if they could have. This, of course, while the Justice Department refused them protection. I guess the justices, too are at fault for the attempted assaults on them.

It’s not because of a warped since of justice, though as it would seem so. It just is that some will believe anything the dems say. After all, the dems, the media, and the social media have all spread the word, the orange man is Hitler. How much better would be the world without Hitler. So, by way of twisted reasoning, the dems are saying the world would be better off without the orange man. Hence, by the twisted logic, if someone killed Trump, the would would be far better off. Those that have tried might even be looking at themselves as heroes. On the other hand, there are dems that would agree with them,

The Benefit of a Plan “B”

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Somewhere around 2010 they shut down the shuttle program, in essence discounting the most of the space program.

To most of us, it was a small thing. However, it was then that thousands discovered that they had no plan “B.” Many had families. The vast majority had bills, big bills. They likely had a little savings, not nearly enough. Many panicked. Many went down to the local hamburger place and found out that that plan “B” wouldn’t work. They weren’t hiring. Worse, the restaurants were making their money off the those that were were working for NASA. …And now, very few were working for NASA. And it was even worse. Had they got hired on and worked 60 hour weeks, they would not make the house payment. Just can’t do that on minimum wage.

It was something of a local depression. They all would have gladly sold apples but no one was buying apples. They would have gone into construction, but there were suddenly many vacancies. There was no need to build new homes. People were leaving by the thousands. It would have been a real good time to have a bunch of money to invest in real estate. The depression of land values was short. A person with a little spare change in his pocket had the chance to buy low and sell high.

Nonetheless, back to my point. It was those who had the good Plan “B” that did well. Unfortunately, there were not many. I mean, where does an aeronautic engineer go to find a job. They had one possible employer and there just weren’t many other places hiring.

I don’t know, but I would guess that most of those who had houses left. In many cases, they likely simply abandoned their homes, unable to sell them. I don’t know. It might have been one of those times it would have been better to rent. That way, it would be landlords who would be the losers when everyone started moving out.

I don’t have any idea what they all did, but I can guess it was whatever they could find, even if it was digging ditches. There is no telling how far they move from their former homes before they could find someone who would hire them.

It was worse than the catch 22. No one wanted to hire someone they knew would have to train, and then lose the instant someone starts building rockets again. It is the perfect example of being overqualified. So, suddenly, they wished they learned how to build houses, did plumbing or air conditioning in their spare time. At least then, they could go to an employer and say I already know how….

I was one of those who didn’t have a Plan “B,” though not part of the space program. I was making good money repairing computers. Then one day, I was called into the boss’s office in the late 1980’s. Need I say more.

In one day, the corporation of UNISYS decreased its employees by twenty percent. It was devastating not just to me, but to the rest of the20%. But I did see it coming. I hoped to avoid it, but hope just does not always work.

Oh, and by the way, my oldest son just started college. Wish I had had a plan “B.” They come in so handy when things suddenly happen, even when it isn’t so sudden.

News Channel 3 Anytime

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Don’t believe it. It’s a misnomer. They really need to call themselves, Sports, Weather and Ads anytime. Well, truthfully, they do accidentally have 2 or 3 news stories each half hour. However, the bulk of the Memphis channel could be mostly equally divided between sports, weather and advertising. The thing is, much of the advertising is that they bring us the news, but they don’t. As I said, sports, weather and advertising.

I can only guess, but I’d say they really don’t want to bring us news. First, it has a tendency to make the dems look bad. It makes the Memphis government look bad. It makes the schools look bad. Truly, they make the city look bad. Second. they would have to pay someone to gather the news. Yeah. That’s right. They would have to go out and ask real questions of real people.

They have all sorts of remote broadcasting equipment. That’s right. Then they use it two or three times a day… sometimes. I’m not sure they like to do that. When they do, it does makes me wonder why. What would actually prompt them to go out and gather some news? Far easier, far less expensive to look at the weather instruments and record the weather.

Which brings me to the question, what takes so long to report the weather? When I was a kid, it took 2 or 3 minutes. Just what takes so long now. Well they have maps now. Maybe they should have 6 minutes.

Now, just why do the sports need 12 minutes and local news channel 3? Just what is so important about the sports that they can’t get the sports elsewhere. Just why is it so much more important than hard news?

Regardless, if there were penalties for truth in advertising, WREG TV would be guilty of disobedience. They advertise news anytime. It’s an outright lie. Hasn’t been news for decades. I don’t think it ever will be. It is intentional deceit.

Even as I write this, I am looking at a story about Mattel dolls. I guess they considered that important enough to squeeze it in. I’m not sure why it is so important to me. If I had a daughter, I’m not that sure it would be all that important to her. Most of the little girls would get their important info about dolls from commercials. I don’t know too many kids who would watch the news if you forced them.

It is no wonder there are people who are voting for Kamala for no other reasons than that she is black and she is a woman. Ask most who will vote for her to name one good thing she has ever done, and all you will hear is crickets.

Sometimes, They Get it Right, Sometimes

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Most of time, they are wrong. As mentioned before, I frequently go surfing the web, looking for things I don’t need. I have looked at yachts before, though there is no way I could afford one, even if they gave it to me. Nonetheless, I do occasionally see ads about yacht oriented things; you know, marine oriented equipment. I have done research on Paris years ago. I still see ads for tickets, not only to Paris, but Rome and London too. I don’t even have a passport.

The current thing is those air fryers. I’m still trying to figure that one out. I don’t think I would use an air fryer if I had one. Most of the time, we go out to eat. I am spoiling my wife now. Besides, with just the two of us, if I cook at home, we end up with a lot of waste. Most of what little cooking I do is with a cast iron skillet. It works good and it is very reliable. I cook a couple of hamburger patties in about 3 minutes. Virtually impossible to ruin. If I used an air fryer, it would be difficult to save much time.

Nonetheless, I turn to the left and I see the benefits of air fryers. I turn to the right and I find out I can fry fries without frying them. Pardon me, but doesn’t that mean they aren’t fries. Don’t know what they are called.

The ads don’t bother me, but I do laugh at them. I see the ads when I play Free Cell. At any time of any day, as I go through the channels, I see them advertised on TV. They pop up in bunches in my emails. I just laugh at them. They serve no purpose. If I should decide I need one one day, I think I would go down to Walmart and get one. Thing is, I would not even need to make a special trip. I went right by one yesterday when I went to the bank. Worse thing about those air ovens, they take up space. With a 900 square foot house, I need space more than an air oven.

I thought about making a list of things that they advertise, aimed specially at me, that I have no use for. Then I could write a book about them. That way, I could share the humor.

As a side note, there are some things I’ve seen ads for, I just might find out what they are and what they are used for. Those that read the book might could tell me.

The Factchecker Just Got Factchecked

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The mediator said that there was no killing of animals. He was implying that Trump was a liar. Indeed, he would have liked to have Trump wear the label forever if he could manage it. But the label didn’t stick. Indeed, the label now belongs on the factchecker. He said, the animals were not being killed, but even now the dems are having to back off of it, as the city council is having to admit to it. Indeed, a 911 call is now making its rounds on the internet. In addition, it is starting to be reported in other cities.

Now the dems are trying to trivialize it. For many reasons, it is not trivial. Most of all, you, mr. factchecker, should, in writing and publicly, make an apology for calling a fine honest man a liar.

I don’t expect that to happen though. It is not in the blood of dems to admit being wrong. They simply will not, even if the facts are starring them in the face. It is certainly not in their blood to make any kind of an apology at all, ever.

I Was Half Right, Maybe

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I knew Kamala would want another debate. My best guess now, they looked into the surveys they have been doing since the last debate and they realize their win did not have the affect they hoped for. It’s sort of the thing that happens when you dodge all the questions as if they were bullets.

However, Pres. Trump decided against another the debate. I didn’t expect that when I said I expected another debate. From the way Trump spoke, it sounds pretty much set, although it may yet change. It is always something of a gamble to fight when the outcome is somewhat established already. I understand he is now leading by a point or two. That would mean he is ahead by four. If Trump does come up with an agreement for it to take place at FOX News, he might take it. There is no way that Kamala would get away with not answering questions there and the meet just might amount to a knockout punch, if you will excuse the horrible euphemism. For the same reason, I don’t think Kamala will agree to FOX, unless she becomes desperate.

On a slightly different note, what Pres. Trump said about Kamala’s crowds is real. They rely on paid attendees or big name singers to draw the crowds. Trump manages to draw the crowds all by himself. However, I must admit that I must give some to Kamala too. Some of his followers do leave. I would likely have to be one of those who did. At my age and fitness, I simply could not stay over an hour, if that long. He is about my age and I shake my head when I see him do it. After an hour, I would certainly run out of energy.

Try This For a Quick Potato Salad

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My wife is not a fan of onions or pickles. She likes her potato salads simple and she certainly does not like the store bought. So, yesterday, I boiled three eggs, chopped them up and added mayonnaise. Then I opened a standard size can of diced potatoes, drained the water and added the potatoes to the eggs.

I kind of liked it. Moreover, if I had the veggies, I could have chopped some of them and added them to my portion. A little celery and onion would have been nice. The important thing… That which was on my wife’s plate disappeared quickly.

Oh, and by the way, the hardest part was peeling the eggs. I served it with a hamburger, on a bun, and a few peas. Easy, and as I said, it disappeared fast. I’m glad it worked out. I did not want to go out in the wind and rain unless I had to.

Guess I need to add diced potatoes to my standard shopping list. I don’t think it will break me to buy a few cans each time.

One Score = Twenty Years

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Actually, it means 20 anything. According to Reference.com, it was originally used to count livestock. Marks, or scores were made on a convenient piece of wood to keep track of the scores. Only, back then, it was old Norse and was spelt skor.

More recently, people have used it for speeches, like the Gettysburg Address. I guess old Abe realized that four score and seven sounds so-o-o much better than just simply saying eighty-seven years.

Actually, I never figured on writing all that, but as I decided on my title, I figured I should double check. I mean, considering how my memory has failed me lately, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t for ten. Then as usual, when I looked it up, I found out so much more.

So to get back to my original thought, I mean, the idea that one score makes 20 years. A few days ago I got to thinking about it. I know. As my wife says, I do entirely too much time thinking. I would suspect some of those reading this agree.

At any rate, I figure it this way,

At an age of 1 skor, I realized I would never be a major league, or even a minor league pitcher. How disappointing. When I was 12, I was so looking forward to it.

At the age of 2 skor, I realized I would never be president. I knew I would never be a millionaire. How horrible. Worse, I had to start wearing reading glasses. I was no longer able to do 200 sit-ups non stop. (Really, when I was in high school I could and did.) What a horrible thing to be confronted with.

At an age of 3 skor, I already had my first heart attack. Worse yet, it was a realization that the 2 skor thing was really real. It was a reinforcement that I was getting old. I mean, I was really looking at retirement. It was hiding right around the corner.

Well now, it is 3 skor and 16; almost 4 skor. Can you believe that? I can’t. Even so, every time I go out and work in the yard for a while, I am reminded. Every time I try to read instructions micro-printed on the side of a bottle, reality comes knocking on the door.

Then too, there are my 2 mile walks. Even when the outdoor temp is 64 degrees, I fall in my easy chair after, sweat dripping off of me.

It causes me to wonder at the start of each day, am I going to make it to 4 skor.